Parika Lake and Baker Pass

Rocky Mountain National Park

Parika Lake (11,360') is located 5.6 miles from Bowen-Baker Trailhead in the Never Summer Wilderness. This small but scenic lake is ringed by tiered alpine meadows under Parika Peak (12,394') and Fairview Mt (12,246'). The Baker Gulch Trail shares the first 4.35 miles with Parika, then splits off through expansive meadows to Baker Pass (11,253'). The lake and pass can be connected to form a challenging loop.

Parika Lake is located just above treeline on the east side of the Continental Divide under Parika Peak (12,394') and Fairview Mt (12,246')

The trail between Baker Pass and Parika Lake runs just east of the Divide crest, but lack of clarity and terrain (such as cornices pictured here) can easily force you onto the spine or down the west side

The Never Summer Wilderness provides water to three major rivers: the Colorado, North Platte and Cache la Poudre

View from the Divide over the expansive meadows leading to Baker Pass, and of Mt Cumulus (left) and Mt Nimbus (right)

Though Parika Lake is fairly small, it's surrounded by open rolling meadows and alpine terraces that are easy to reach and explore

The Baker Gulch Trail is faint in places past the Parika Lake split and all but vanishes in meadows leading to the pass, however grades are mild and navigation is intuitive through these big open spaces

Yellow avalanche lilies carpet the meadows under Baker Pass; their root system, which is actually a bulb, is a preferred food of grizzly bears (extirpated from Colorado)

Views back east into Rocky Mountain National Park are exceptional on the descent from Parika Lake, especially in afternoon light

Historical records dating back to the 1850s suggest that moose wandered into N. CO from WY, but were transient and never established a breeding population; in 1978, 24 moose from WY and UT were introduced to Colorado to create a breeding population

Relatively gentle terrain between Baker Pass and Parika Lake makes it fairly easy to sight-navigate across open alpine landscapes

Pay close attention to cairns as you pass through treeline up to Baker Pass; finding the trail can be tricky as you transition from big open space back through treeline